Device for measuring the diameter of a railway car axle in an axle box



2,896,331 HE DIAMETER OF A RAILWA July 28, 1959 J. c. HORST DEVICE FORMEASURING T CAR AXLE IN AN AXLE BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 13, 1955INVENTOR. C. Horsf John ATTORNEYS July 28, 1959 J. c. HORST 2,896,331

DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE DIAMETER OF A RAILWAY cAR AXLE IN AN AXLE BOXFiled May 1:5, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN'TOR. John C. Horst ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent DEVICE FOR MEASURING THZE DIAMETER OF A RAILWAY CARAXLE IN AN AXLE BOX John C. Horst, Adams County, Colo.

Application May 13, 1955, Serial No. 508,238

Claims. (Cl. 33-478) My present invention relates to a device orinstrument for measuring the diameter of a round or cylindrical body,such as a railway car axle. My instrument has many uses but one of itsprincipal uses is in the accurate and rapid measuring of the diameter ofa railway car axle after the removal of the worn axle bearing block orbrass to permit the replacement of the worn brass with a new brass, orwith a brass which has been machinecontoured, with a machine such asthat disclosed by the copending application of Peter C. Thomas and JohnC. Horst, Serial No. 419,974. The instrument of the present inventionmay take several forms, but a preferred form is the one illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

As is well known to railroad men, it has been impossible, or virtuallyimpossible, with known and available instruments or devices, to take anaccurate and dependable diameter measurement of a railway car axle inthe axle box, this for the reason that such instruments could not beproperly engaged with the axle within the axle box to take its diameterand maintain an accurate measurement thereof while removing it to apoint outside the box for checking said measurement. Without suchaccurate measurement available as a guide, it has been practicallyimpossible to properly dress down or contour a brass or axle bearingblock to even approxi mately the actual diameter of the axle which wasmeasured.

It is, therefore, one of the objects of my present invention to providea new and novel instrument or device as referred to above with which itis possible for an unskilled workman, as well as a skilled mechanic, totake accurate diameter measurements of railway car axles within theiraxle boxes, with each accurate measurement being indicated or registeredvisibly by the device.

With my new instrument or device, there is no guesswork nor trial anderror procedure involved. The measuring element or unit of theinstrument or device is simply placed upon the car axle, tighteningmeans on the handle is adjusted to hold the setting or measurement madeby the element of the device, and then said element is removed from theaxle and brought into contact with another element of the instrument ordevice which constitutes the indicating means which visibly registersthe exact outside diameter of the axle measured.

Another object of my invention is to provide an intrument or device asaforesaid which is so shaped and proportioned as to enable a Workman,while in a comfortable standing position, to place it in an axle box soas to embrace the axle and take its accurate outside diametermeasurement, which measurement is then visibly registered or indicatedby the application to the first element of the instrument of theregistering or diameter-indicating element thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide an extremely sensitivedevice as aforesaid, capable of minute and accurate diameter orthickness measurements of various bodies, such as railway car axles,with speed, ease and facility.

2,896,331 Patented July 28, 1959 The foregoing and other objects andadvantages of my present invention will appear from the followingdescription and appended claims when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein likereference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the measurement-taking or determiningunit or portion of my instrument or device for measuring andregistering, or indicating the exact diameter of various bodies, such asrailway car axles;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the measurement registering orindicating unit or element of my improved instrument or device;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the device shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a front end elevational view of the axle measuring device orelement seen in Figs. 1 and 3, showing in broken lines a railway caraxle being measured; and

Fig. 5 is a rear end elevational view of the assembled portions or unitsof the instrument or device of the present invention, showing them incooperative relationship for registering or indicating the exactdiameter of the body having been measured, with the rear cover plate forthe casing of the indicating device being removed to expose the innerworking parts.

Before explaining in detail the present invention, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. It isto be understood also that the phraseology or terminology employedherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and itis not intended to limit the invention claimed herein beyond therequirements of the prior art.

Briefly, my present invention embodies a measuring instrument or devicefor measuring the diameter of round bodies, such as railway car axles,and in its present embodiment is in the form of two units or elementswhich are employed to take the measurement and to then visibly indicatethe exact measurement of the axle diameter. The actual measuringinstrument unit is inserted into the axle box and its arcuate or archedhead portion placed upon the axle. It is held in this position by thehandle portion of the unit which. has adjustment means at the operatorend of the handle portion, permitting the operator to make the measuringadjustment and then set the unit with that measuring adjustment fixed.Thereafter, by means of the handle, he removes the axle measuring unitfrom the axle box and brings it into intimate contact with the baseportion of the gradu ated measurement registering or indicating unit orelemcn of the device. This lattter unit, by indicating to the workmanthe exact measurement of the axle diameter, enables him to install theproper size replacement brass on the axle. If the exact size brass isnot readily available and it is desired to contour and regroove a usedbrass as a replacement, the indicating device informs the operator ofthe machine exactly how much the used brass should be contoured ordressed down before it is installed in the axle box. The two units orelements of the present instrument are shown in their cooperativerelationship in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, the separated units of the instrument areshown in Figs. 1 through 4 and the combined units in Fig. 5, wherein Arepresents the measuring unit and is shown separately in Figs. 1, 3 and4 and in its combined relationship with the indicating 3 or registeringunit B, in Fig. 5. This measurement indicating or registering unit B isshown separately in Fig. 2.

I shall now describe the diameter measuring unit of my instrument,namely that portion of the device which is indicated as a whole by theletter A. This element or unit of the device comprises a head portionwhich, as shown, is of arcuate shape, or arched, as clearly seen inFigs. 1 and 3. The undersurface of head 10 at its opposite sides isprovided with grooves 10a in which are mounted and secured high-speedsteel rod sections or lengths 11 which are held in place in the head 10by screws or the like 12. Since it is desirable to provide a unit havinggreat strength yet one which is of relatively light weight, I haveformed the head portion 10 from an aluminum casting. Thus, to preventwear on the casting from long usage, I have provided the insert rodsections 11 which, in using the device, come directly into contact withthe steel axle, as clearly seen in Fig. 4.

Projecting outwardly from the head portion 10 is a tubular shank 13,threaded at 14, into the threaded socket of a yoke member 15. The outerend portion of the tubular shank 13 carries a handle 16 which is mountedthereon in any suitable manner, as by swaging. Yoke member embraces aroller-like member 17 which in turn engages in a notch formed in anupright pressureapplying member or the like 18 which has a forwardlyprojecting pin or extension 19 which projects into and through a hole oropening formed in head 10, see particularly Fig. 3. The roller-likemember 17, which functions similar to a cam in use, is provided with anoversize center opening 20 and the member is held in position withrelation to the yoke 15 and cavity in head 10 by a pin 21, see Figs. 1and 3.

The head member 10 has a closed-top cavity or socket 10c formed thereinto receive and support a plunger 22 having a depending lower projection23. Projection 23 is of considerably smaller diameter than plunger 22.Plunger 22 is hollow and contains a coil spring 24 which tends to forcethe plunger downwardly away from the upper end of socket 10c. Theouterupright wall of plunger 22 is provided with a vertical slot or recess 25into which the pin 19 extends. With reference particularly to Fig. 3, itwill be understood that the pin 19 limits the downward movement ofplunger 22 under the action of spring 24. It also serves to maintain theparts in their assembled relationship.

The entire unit A may be transported and manipulated by grasping handle16. An adjustment rod 26 having a threaded portion 27 and a knurledfinger grip portion 28 at its outer end, extends through the tubularshank 13 and the inner end 26a thereof engages the surface of theroller-like member or cam-like member 17. It will be understood,therefore, that by rotating the finger piece 28 in a clockwisedirection, the rod will be caused to push against the cam 17 and forcethe projecting pin 19 of member 18 into intimate and binding contactWith the back wall of plunger slot 25 to hold the plunger in its thenaxle-measuring position. This action is, of course, permitted by virtueof the floating connection between members 17 and 21 wherein the cam orroller 17 has the oversize center opening 20, mentioned above.

In use, the measuring portion or unit A of my device is lifted bygrasping handle 16 and is placed upon the exposed axle portion locatedwithin an axle box (not shown) until the four steel rod lengths orcontact members 11 rest upon and in intimate contact with the axle, withthe head portion of the unit embracing said axle, see Fig. 4. When inthis position, the spring 24 tends to force the plunger toward the axleand bring the lead end or portion 23 thereof into intimate contact withthe surface of the axle. When this has taken place, the operator rotatesfinger piece 28 in a clockwise direction to cause rod 26, 26a to forceroller 17, member 18, and the locking pin 19 into firm or intimate andbinding engagement with the vertical slot 25 ofplunger 22,thusreleasably locking the parts in that position. The unit A is nowremoved from within the axle box and is brought into contact with thebase of the registering or indicating unit or portion B of the device.

Portion or unit B, namely the registering or indicating unit of myinstrument or device, is shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings. Fig. 2is a face perspective view showing the graduated dial and indicatingfinger, or hand, and Fig. 5 is a rear elevational view in which thedevice is assembled with the measuring unit or element A, and with theback plate of the casing removed so that the working parts of theindicator are exposed to view.

As shown, the indicator B has a substantially square base 30 formed as acasting of aluminum or other similar light metal or metal alloy. Thebase has two spaced depending ribs or projections 31 which extend inparallelism across one dimension of the base adjacent two opposite edgesthereof. Insert wear-resisting strips 32 are applied to the underside ofthe base 30 and to the outer faces of the ribs 31 and are held thereto,respectively, by cap screws, or the like, 33 and 33a. These strips 32are preferably formed from high speed steel and serve as the wear stripsfor the unit when they are brought into contact with the steel rodsections or lengths 11 of unit A, as when the units A and B are inassembled relationship, as shown in Fig. 5.

The base 30 is provided with a pedestal 34 having a vertical openingtherein and above the pedestal is mounted a round casing or housing 34awhich contains the mechanism for operating the indicating finger 52shown in Fig. 2. Indicating finger 52, having a pointer or tip 52a, isfixedly mounted upon a pin or axle 47 to move with it. The indicatingfinger 52, 52a is operated by means which makes contact with thespring-pressed plunger 22, 23, of the measuring unit A when the units Aand B are in the assembled relationship of Fig. 5. Such means, as shown,comprises a rod having an upper portion 35, a substantially horizontalportion 36 and a depending portion 37 which latter portion extendsdownwardly through the opening or space in the pedestal 34 and analigned opening formed in the base 30. The lower end portion 37 of therod or plunger carries a projecting pin or member 38 which actuallymakes contact with the projection 23 on the spring-pressed plunger 22 ofthe head portion 10 of unit A. The horizontal portion 36 of the rodrests in a supporting bracket or cradle 39 and the rod or plunger 35,36, 37, is normally held in its downward or projected position by apressure-applying arm 40 mounted in the casing by a pin, or the like 41.

The front wall of the casing 34a carries a supporting plate or bracket42 and the upper end of arm 35 is attached to a rectangular plate 43,which in turn is attached to the arm 44 of a rack or toothed segment 45,by means of screws, rivets, or the like 44a. The end of arm 44, at theleft in Fig. 5, is mounted upon a pivot pin 44b which extends throughthe reinforcing plate 43 and is mounted in plate 42 carried by the frontwall or face of the indicator casing. A gear 46 is mounted upon pin orshaft 47 which carries at its outer end, see Fig. 2, the indicatingfinger 52 having the arrow head or tip 52a.

A clock-type spring 48 has one end secured to plate 42 and the oppositeend is associated with the gear 46, the tendency of the spring being tomaintain the gear and the intermeshed rack in the positions in whichthey are shown in Fig. 5. After a measurement has been registered, orindicated, and the rack moved out of the position in which it is shownin the drawings, the spring 48 tends to return the parts to their normalpositions immediately the units A and B are separated or moved apart.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawings, the face or dialof the indicating unit B is provided with graduations 50 which willregister or indicate the precise diameter of an object of round, orgenerally round, cross-section from 4 /2 inches to 6 inches. These orreconditioned brass.

measurements of the graduating dial are indicated by large numerals andthe finer measurements between the inch marks of the dial are indicatedat '51 and designated by smaller numerals.

Thus, after a measurement has been taken by unit A as described above,units A and B are brought together in intimate relationship, as shown inFig. 5 of the drawing. Assuming theaxle or other object diametermeasurement taken was approximately 5 and Aths inches, the pointer 52aof the indicating fingerySZ will assume the position in which it isshown in Fig. 2. This, therefore, indicates the precise outside axlediameter and informs the operator as to exactly the size brass requiredas a replacement for the worn brass removed from the measured axle andaxle box. Moreover, if brass of the required size and contoured surfaceis not ready or available, unit B then serves to indicate to theoperator the exact setting required for the mechanism of thebrass-contouring or dressing machine to properly shape or contour a wornbrass to the required size for use as the replacement brass. As statedat the outset of this description, such a shaping or contouring machineis covered by the copending joint application of Peter C. Thomas andJohn C. Horst, Serial No. 419,974.

It is to be understood that the clockwork-like mechanism shown in Fig. 5of the drawings and located within the casing 34a can be changed orvaried at will. The mechanism shown is merely illustrative of one groupor choice of parts, or members, which may be assembled to efiect thedesired result achieved by unit B of my instrument.

By virtue of my invention, even an unskilled workman can take anaccurate measurement of a car axle and then produce a visible reading orindication of that exact measurement so that he, or another workman, mayreplaced the worn brass which was removed from the axle and axle box,with the proper size and contoured new This axle measurement indicatingoperation is achieved by the simple expedient of placing or the bringingtogether of the two units of my instrument, namely, measuring unit A andregistering unit B, until they assume the cooperative relationship inwhich they are seen in Fig. 5. This placing or bringing together of theunits A and B may be done while the operator is holding the parts in hishands, the illustration of Fig. 5, with the unit A shown in invertedposition, being merely illustrative of one way of positioning the unitsfor obtaining the axle measurement reading.

I claim:

1. An instrument for accurately measuring the outside diameter of anobject of round cross section, such as that portion of a railway caraxle disposed within an axle box, comprising an arcuate member adaptedto contact the axle at spaced lines, a spring-urged plunger carried bysaid member and engageable with said axle within the area defined by thespaced lines of contact, a handle extending outwardly from one end ofthe arcuate member, means movable into engagement with said plunger tomaintain the plunger in axle-contacting position, and means associatedwith the handle for releasably holding said firstnamed means in suchengagement after the removal of the instrument from contact with theaxle.

2. An instrument for accurately measuring and indicating the outsidediameter of an object of round cross section, such as that portion of arailway car axle disposed within an axle box, comprising an arcuatemember adapted to contact the axle at spaced lines, a spring-urgedplunger carried by said member and engageable with said axle within thearea defined by the spaced lines of contact, a handle extendingoutwardly from said arcuate member, means movable into engagement withsaid plunger to maintain the plunger in axle-contacting position,adjustable means associated with the handle for releasablyholding saidfirst-named means in such engagement after the removal of the instrumentfrom contact the axle at those four points, a spring-urged plungercarried by the head member at approximately the center thereof, saidplunger having a centrally disposed lead projection on its outer surfaceof considerably smaller diameter than the diameter of the plunger forengagement with the axle, a tiltable handle extending outwardly from oneside of the head member, means movable into engagement with said plungerto maintain the plunger in axle-contacting relationship, adjustablemeans associated with the handle for releasably holding said first-namedmeans in such engagement after the removal of the instrument fromcontact with the axle, and a visible measurement-indicating means havinga base portion cooperable with the removed head member to register theexact outside diameter of the measured axle, said indicating meansincluding a spring-controlled plunger engageable by the spring-urgedplunger, a graduated dial having measurement indicating numeralsthereon, and an indicating finger movable over said graduated dial andoperated by the engagement of the spring-urged plunger and thespring-controlled plunger when they are in contact with each other toindicate the precise outside diameter or" the axle as determined by saidhead member.

4. Means according to claim 3, wherein the head member is formedprincipally as an aluminum casting whose corner rods are formed fromsteel and are secured thereto, and wherein the base portion of thevisible measurementindicating means is also formed as an aluminumcasting and has steel reinforcing strips secured to the undersidethereof for engagement with the corner rods of the head member.

5. An instrument for measuring the diameter of round objects, such asthe portion of a railway car axle disposed within an axle box,comprising a member having an inner surface providing spaced lines ofcontact on an axle on which it is seated, a plunger carried by saidmemher and arranged to engage said axle within the area defined by saidspaced lines of contact, a handle member connected to and extending fromsaid axle-contacting member, and means operable from the outer extremityof said handle member for engaging the plunger in its axlecontactingposition so as to hold it in such position while the instrument is movedout of the axle box by manipulation of said handle.

6. An instrument as defined in claim 5, in which the inner surface ofthe axle-contacting member is curved.

7. An instrument as defined in claim 5, in which the handle member ismounted in pivotal connection with the axle-contacting member.

8. An instrument for measuring the diameter of round objects, such asthe portion of a railway car axle disposed within an axle box,comprising a member having an inner surface providing spaced lines ofcontact on an axle on which it is seated, a plunger carried by saidmember and arranged to engage said axle within the area defined by saidspaced lines of contact, a handle member connected to and extending fromsaid axle-contacting member, means operable from the outer extremity ofsaid handle member for engaging the plunger in its axle-contactingposition so as to hold it in such position, and a measurement indicatingunit having means for engaging said plunger in the held position so asto indicate the diameter of the axle.

9. An instrument as defined in claim 8, in which the measurementindicating unit has spring urged means for engaging said plunger.

10. An instrument for measuring the exterior surface of a railway caraxle disposed in an axle box, comprising means mounted for placement onan axle in an axle box having two lines of contact'for straddlingengagement with the axle and a spring pressed plunger disposed betweensaid lines to measure the outside diameter of said-axle, means forholding said plunger at a selected measuring position, and meanscooperating with said plunger in said held position after removal fromsaid axle for visual indication of said held position of measurement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,485,154 Aldeborgh "5--..-- Feb. 26, 1924 8 Ames Feb. 8, Tingley Mar.1, Parker Jan. 13, Aldeborgh May 31, Mennesson Oct. 1, Hartl Apr. 11,Frisz Apr. 10, Johnson June 10, Mennesson Dec. 9,

FOREIGN PATENTS Sweden -4 Nov. 3,

